244 BOOK OF THE BLACK BASS. 



old single-action English reel or winch. It is made of 

 metal or hard rubber, and of various styles or sizes, from 

 a Striped Bass-reel to a Perch-reel. In shape and con- 

 struction it differs necessarily from the click-reel, having a 

 different office to i)erform, or rather the same object — the 

 delivery of the bait — to perform in a different manner. 

 Being intended for natural bait-fishing, it requires an easy- 

 running and freely-rendering action in order to deliver the 

 bait as far as possible at a single cast. As there is no 

 click to control the running off of the line, the thumb 

 must be used for this purpose, by effecting a gentle and 

 uniform pressure upon the spool, and for this reason the 

 multiplier is made much wider than the click-reel, or of 

 the barrel or drum shape. 



In its construction, a small cog or spur wheel is placed 

 at one extremity of the axis or shaft, into which a larger 

 cog-wheel is fitted, and to the latter is attached the handle 

 or crank. One revolution of the handle produces two or 

 more revolutions of the central shaft. The reel most gen- 

 erally known and used is the " New York Multiplier," 

 which is manufactured for the trade in large quantities, 

 with the retailer's name stamped on one end. It is called, 

 by some, the " balance reel," from the fact, I presume, that 

 it has a balanced handle, which, by some, is thought to add 

 to the rapid working of the reel; but this fancied advan- 

 tage exists in the imagination only — a simple crank handle 

 is better. 



As with the click-reel, there has been great improve- 

 ments made in the multiplying reel within a few years 

 past. Most of the manufacturers have given special 

 attention to reels of this character, more especially for 

 Black Bass fishing, and the result has been most grati- 



